Apparatus for tufting uniform cut pile

ABSTRACT

A cut pile looper device including a looper element or hook and a spreader element fixed proximate to the bill of the hook for receiving a tufted loop thereover in a spread position for cutting by a knife member reciprocating between the spreader element and the hook so that the loop is cut in substantially the center to form cut pile yarn ends of equal height. The looper device is characterized by a small recess formed in one side surface of the bill adjacent its free end, to freely receive the free end of the spreader element projecting laterally toward the bill and into the recess.

United States Patent [191 Passons et al.

APPARATUS FOR TUFTING UNIFORM CUT PILE [76] Inventors:

Filed:

[21] Appl. No.:

US. Cl. Int. Cl

William Erby Passons; William Rubin Reese, both of c/o Broad Street Machine Company Inc., P. O.

Box 6568, Chattanooga, Tenn. 37408 Jan. 24, 1972 ..D05c 15/24 Field of Search ..112/79 R, 79 A, 266,

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 10/1934 Germany ..112/79 R [1;] 3,735,715 [451 May 29,1973

7/1962 Belgium .Q ..l12/79R 9/1961 Italy ..l12/79R Primary ExaminerJames R. Boler Attorney-Harrington A. Lackey [5 7] ABSTRACT The looper device is characterized by a small recess formed in one side surface of the bill adjacent its free end, to freely receive the free end of the spreader ele ment projecting laterally toward the bill and into the recess.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR TUFTING UNIFORM CUE FILE BACKGROUND OF- THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tufting machine, and more particularly to a cut pile looper device for a tufting machine.

Traditionally, cut pile has been produced in tufting machines by a reciprocable looper or hook engaging and holding a loop of yarn carried through a base fabric by a reciprocable needle, and a reciprocable knife cooperating with one side of the looper to cut the loop of yarn into two separate yarn ends or strands. As the knife reciprocates along and against one side of the looper, the yarn loop is cut on one side of the hook to form two unequal cut pile strands or ends. Such cutting is referred to in the industry as a J-cut because the 79,387, filedOct. 9, 1976, for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TUFTING UNIFORM CUT FILE.

Applicants have also attempted to eliminate .I-cuts, by fixing a spreader element to one side of a cut pile hook in which the spreader element has a spreader blade spaced laterally of and directed in the same direction as the bill of the hook for receiving a reciprocal knife member therebetween which cuts the loop spread by the hook and spreader element in the center of the loop. The free end of the spreader element diverges toward and against the surface of the bill adjacent its free end. This cut pile looper mechanism is described in applicants co-pending application Ser. No. 145,195, filed May 20, 1971, for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TUFTING UNIFORM CUT FILE.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus in the form of a novel looper mechanism including a looper element or hook, a spreader element and a knife member for cutting the loop yarns evenly and in the center thereof to form cut strands or yarn ends in each loop of equal height.

This invention contemplates a looper mechanism for a multiple-needle tufting machine incorporating looper elements or hooks, and a spreader element and knife member cooperating with each of the hooks. The spreader element is associated with each hook so that both the hook and the spreader element enter the loop to spread it and hold it taut while the knife member is reciprocated between the hook and the spreader element to cut the loop substantially in the center thereof. The spreader element is preferably fixed to the hook so that it extends along and in the same direction as the bill of the hook and has a free end which projects laterally toward the bill adjacent the free end of the bill. A small recess is formed in the side surface of the bill adjacent the free end and opposing the projecting free end of the spreader element to receive the free pointed end of the spreader element therein. The spreader elemeat may be of a resilient material for biasing the pointed free end of the spreader element into the rccars. The middle portion of the spreader element is preferably spaced apart laterally from the side of the hook bill, not only to spread the loop, but also to pro vide a space for receiving the reciprocal knife as it cuts the bottom portion of the spread loop in its center thereof.

This cut pile looper device is an improvement over that disclosed in the above co-pending application Ser. No. 145,195, in that the laterally projecting feee end of the spreader element is always received in the recess in the side of the bill, even if forced laterally away from the bill by the reciprocating knife member. Thus, even if sprung outward by repeated use or metal fatigue, the free end of the spreader element will remain within the recess to close the opening between the spreader element and the hook bill so that the yarn loop passing over the looper element will always pass over the spreader element without being snagged by an exposed pointed free end of the spreader element.

The spreader element and hook made in accordance with this invention also hold the bottom portion of the loop in a substantially horizontal taut position so that the knife cuts substantially transversely of the yarn to make a smooth straight cut, as opposed to the angular out which the knife makes through a loop held on the side of a hook in a conventional cut pile tufting mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRWTION OF TI-m DRAWINGS disclosing the looper mechanism in a cutting position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1 diSClOS? ing the looper mechanism in non-cutting, or loop forming, position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the looper and spreader element disclosed in FIG. 1, disclosing only a single loop in cutting position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken along the line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side sectional elevation of a modified looper mechanism; and

FIG. 8 is a front view of the looper mechanism disclosed in FIG. 7, with the knife shown fragmentarily.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 discloses a typical needle bar 10 supporting a plurality of needles 111 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) disposed in a row transversely of the tufting machine. The needle bar If) and needles 11 are adapted to be reciprocably moved between their lower position disclosed in FIG. 2 and their upper position disclosed in FIG. 1 by a push rod 112 driven by conventional means, not shown.

Supported upon a needle plate 13 for movement longitudinally from firont to rear, in the direction of the arrow, through the tufting machine is a base fabric 15. Each needle 11 carries a yarn 16 through the base fabric 15 upon each stroke of the needle 11.

The looper mechanism made in accordance with this invention includes a plurality of looper elements or cut pile hooks 18 mounted transversely of the tufting machine upon the sarne gauge as the needles 11 in a hook bar 19. The hook bar 19 is supported upon the hook shaft, not shown, for reciprocal movement, by means, not shown, in a conventional manner.

The looper element or cut pile hook 18 includes a bill 22 having a free end 23, and a throat 24 opposite the free end 23.

A spreader element 25, which is disclosed in the drawings in the form of a spring clip, has an arcuately pointed free end 26 and an opposite fixed end or base portion 27. As best disclosed in FIG. 4, the intermediate blade portion 28 is laterally spaced from the opposing face of the bill 22 of the hook 18. As disclosed in FIG. 3, the blade portion 28 may converge toward the free end 26. However, such convergence is immaterial, since the free end 26 turns or projects laterally toward the bill 22, and in fact enters a mating or registering recess 30, as best disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

The spreader element is preferably of integral construction and a uniform material, such as spring steel. The fixed end or base portion 27 is preferably flat, so that it fits flush against the side of the hook 18, and is fixed in place by securing means, such as bolts 29.

Fixed in place, the spring material of the spreader element 25 biases the free end 26 into the recess 30, so that when the free ends 23 and 26 are inserted within a loop, such as 31, both the bill 22 and the blade 28 will fit within the loop to spread it, as best disclosed in FIGS. and 6. As the bill 22 and the spreader blade portion 28 progressively move through the loop 31, the loop is spread apart because of the separation between the bill 22 and the spreader blade portion 28, to a taut spreading position, such as that disclosed in FIG. 5.

A conventional tufting knife 32 is mounted in the knife block or holder 33 which is fixed to the transverse knife shaft 34. The knife shaft 34 is adapted to be reciprocated in synchronism with the hook bar 19, by means, not shown, in a conventional manner. The knife 32 is reciprocated between its non-cutting position disclosed in FIG. 2 and its cutting position disclosed in FIG. 1. The knife 32 is flexed in a conventional manner, as best disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that it is tensioned flush against the opposing side of the tufting hook 18 to provide a close-fitting scissors action in cutting the loop 31.

Also as best disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6, the knife 32 is adapted to reciprocate upward into a cutting position between the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28. The relative thicknesses of the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28, as well as the spacing between the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28, are such, that the knife 32 will cut the spread, taut, bottom bight portion 36 (FIG. 5) of the loop 31 very close to the center of the bight portion 36 to produce severed cut pile strands 39 and 40 of equal lengths (FIG. 6).

In order for the cut to be made in the center of the loop 31, the center of the bight portion 36 should be aligned with the side face of the bill 22 of the hook 18, opposing the spreader blade 28. Also, the bottom portion of the spreader blade 28 should be laterally spaced from the bottom portion of the bill 22 in a plane sub stantially parallel to the base fabric 15. Furthermore, the spacing between the cutting face of the bill 22 and the outer face of the spreader blade 28 engaged by the loop 31 should be approximately equal to the thickness of the bill 22.

Of course, the spreader blade 28 could be above its disclosed position, that is raised in relation to the hook bill 22, so long as the center of the loop 31 is maintained in cutting alignment with the knife 32 cooperating with the cutting face of the bill 22. However, another advantage of having the blade 28 in substantially direct lateral spaced relationship with the bill 22, that is, the bottom edges of the blade 28 and the bill 22 being in the plane parallel to the base fabric 15, is that the knife cuts square or transversely across the yarn in the bight portion 36 to make a smooth straight cut. A square cut of the loop 31 provides tuft pile strands 39 and 40 having their ends presenting a smoother and more attractive appearance, in a tufted cut pile carpet, for example. A square cut in the tufted yarn strands is much superior to the jagged-looking angular cuts normally encountered in conventional cut pile tufting.

In the operation of the invention, the mechanism for reciprocating the push rod 12, hook bar 18 and knife shaft 34, and for moving the base fabric 15 in the direction of the arrow, are the same as in any conventional tufting machine. Thus, in FIG. 2 the needle 11 has been moved to its lowermost position for carrying the yarn 16 through the base fabric 15, and the cut pile book 18, spreader element 25 and tufting knife 32 have been moved to their forwardmost positions. In their forwardmost positions, the bill 22 of the hook 18 and blade 28 of the spreader element 25 have been extended across the needle 11 to catch, engage and hold a loop of yarn 31. It will be noted, particularly in FIG. 2, that the spreader element 25 is on the opposite side of the tufting hook 18 from the needle 11, in order to facilitate the spreader blade 28 and bill 22 together projecting through the loop 31. The loops 31 are progressively moved toward the throat of the hook 18, for each reciprocal movement of the hook bar 19. Of course, in the forwardmost position, the knife 32 is in its lowermost, non-cutting position.

In the other extreme or rearmost reciprocal position, as best disclosed in FIG. 1, each needle 11 is elevated above the base fabric 15, the cut pile hook l8 reciprocates rearward holding the spread loops 31 upon the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28, as the base fabric 15 moves rearward. Knife 32 also reciprocates rearward, but moves upward relative to the cut pile hook 18 so that its upper cutting edge moves above the lower edge of the bill 22 and between the bill 22 and the spreader I blade 28, as best disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 6, to sever the rearmost loop 31 in the center of the bight portion 36.

As the knife 32 moves upward between the bill 22 and spreader blade 28, the knife 32 may actually engage and spread the spreader blade 28 away from the bill 22, or the spacing between the blade 28 and bill 22 may be great enough that no spreading of the spreader blade 28 will be eflected. Whether the spreader blade 28 is laterally moved away or not by the knife 32 is immaterial to the functioning of the device. If the blade 28 is spread away, then the free end 26 still remains in the recess 30, even though it has moved laterally a proportionate distance in the direction away from the bill 22, so that the free end 26 will still not be exposed to engage the moving loop 31. Accordingly, the loop 31 will not be subject to snagging or tearing since the free end 26 of the spreader element 25 will remain concealed at all times. The lateral extent of projection of the free end 26 from the blade portion 28 and the corresponding depth of the recess 30 are such that the free end 26 will never be moved from the recess 30 regardless of how thick the knife 32 is relative to the spacing of the spreader element from the bill 22. In other words, the depth of penetration of the free end 26 of spreader element 25 into the recess is greater than the difference between the thickness of the knife 32 and the spacing between the spreader blade 28 and the bill 22.

It is not necessary that the spreader element 25 be made of a spring material, so long as the spacing be tween the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28 is suflicient to permit the knife blade 32 to rise and cut the loop 31 in the center, and so long as the free end 26 of the spreader element 25 remains within the recess 34) so that both the bill 22 and the spreader blade 28 will always enter the loop 31 without snagging upon, or being separated by, the yarn loop 31.

FIGS. 7 and 8 disclose a modified looper device incorporating a cut pile J-hook 48 supported for reciprocal movement in a hook bar 49. The hook 48 includes a bill 52 having a downtumed free end 53 and a throat 54, which are conventional in cut pile J-hooks. A spreader element 55 has an intumed laterally projecting free end 56, a base portion 57 and an intermediate blade portion 58. The base portion 57 is fixed to the shank of the J-hook 48 by a bolt 59. The inturned free end 56 projects into a recess 60 formed in the opposing side surface of the bill 52, in the same manner that the free end 26 projects into the recess 30 of the bill 22 of FIGS. 1 6. The spreader blade 58 is slightly spaced apart from the bill 52 in order to receive the reciprocal tufting blade 32.

In other words, the cut pile J -hook 48,,spreader blade 55 and tufting knife 32 function in the same manner as the cut pile hook 18, spreader element 25 and tufting blade 32 function, in order to receive and cut a loop 31 at its bottom center. The spreader element 58 is merely structured to conform to the J-hook 48.

What is claimed is:

l. A cut pile looper device for a tufting machine comprising:

a. a hook having an elongated bill, a throat portion and a mounting portion,

b. said bill having a free end and opposed side surfaces and being adapted to extend through a loop of yarn formed'by a tufting machine,

c. said throat portion depending from said bill remote from said free end,

d. said mounting portion being adapted to be fixed to the hook bar of a tufting machine,

e. a recess formed in one of said side surfaces of said bill adjacent said free end, said recess being adapted to receive the free laterally projecting end of a spreader element adapted to be supported adjacent said hook for movement with said bill through said loop,

f. said one side surface being substantially flat to cooperatively engage a knife in said tufting machine to form cut pile.

2. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising a spreader element having an elongated blade portion, a base portion at one end of said blade portion, and a free end at the other end of said blade portion, said base portion being fixed relative to said hook, said blade portion being spaced laterally from said one surface of said bill to receive said knife therebetween, said blade portion extending generally in the same direction of said bill, said free end laterally projecting toward said bill and into said recess.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said spreader element is fixed to said hook.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said spreader element comprises a spring clip having its free end biased into said recess.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which the other side surface of said bill is substantially flat and parallel to said one side surface. 

1. A cut pile looper device for a tufting machine comprising: a. a hook having an elongated bill, a throat portion and a mounting portion, b. said bill having a free end and opposed side surfaces and being adapted to extend through a loop of yarn formed by a tufting machine, c. said throat portion depending from said bill remote from said free end, d. said mounting portion being adapted to be fixed to the hook bar of a tufting machine, e. a recess formed in one of said side surfaces of said bill adjacent said free end, said recess being adapted to receive the free laterally projecting end of a spreader element adapted to be supported adjacent said hook for movement with said bill through said loop, f. said one side surface being substantially flat to cooperatively engage a knife in said tufting machine to form cut pile.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising a spreader element having an elongated blade portion, a base portion at one end of said blade portion, and a free end at the other end of said blade portion, said base portion being fixed relative to said hook, said blade portion being spaced laterally from said one surface of said bill to receive said knife therebetween, said blade portion extending generally in the same direction of said bill, said free end laterally projecting toward said bill and into said recess.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said spreader element is fixed to said hook.
 4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said spreader element comprises a spring clip having its free end biased into said recess.
 5. The invention according to claim 1 in which the other side surface of said bill is substantially flat and parallel to said one side surface. 